This national park is an ecological preserve with upland watersheds, mangrove forests, and estuarine and marine environments that support threatened and endangered species. The park also includes the Columbus Landing Site, a National Historic Landmark that is the only known place where members of a 1493 expedition led by Christopher Columbus (his second voyage) set foot on what is now United States territory. Columbus and his men met a tribe of Caribs here, so it was the first documented encounter between American Indians and Europeans.
